Background and Education
Meghan Verdejo has been dedicated to a professional career of music performance and teaching for the past 30 years. She began studying the violin at the age of three at the Regina Conservatory of Performing Arts in Saskatchewan. At the age of twelve, she was introduced to the viola and pursued a formal education in viola performance at the age of 16.
In 1996, Ms. Verdejo was accepted to the Conservatory of Music in Quebec City where she studied with violist François Paradis and completed two diplomas: Diplôme d’études collégiales en musique and Diplôme d’études supérieures en musique 1. After completing her studies in Quebec City, she moved to Vancouver and graduated with a Master of Music Degree in Viola Performance from the University of British Columbia in 2003.
Performing and Teaching Experience
Ms. Verdejo has participated in numerous competitions and has performed extensively with many organisations in British Columbia. She held the position of Principal Violist with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra from 2003-2006 and has performed with the BC Chamber Orchestra, the Vancouver Chamber Players, the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the English Bay String Quartet. In 2004, she and the Schulhoff Trio were awarded first prize for their performance of Erwin Schulhoff’s Concertino for Flute, Viola and Double Bass at the Fiftieth Annual Chamber Music Competition for Young Musicians. Ms. Verdejo was also the recipient of the second prize for her performance of Gary Kulesha’s Trio for Violin, Viola and Cello with the English Bay String Trio in the same competition.
In 2006, Ms. Verdejo established an entertainment company named West Coast Strings, to meet the growing demand for quality classical event music in the Greater Vancouver Area. With the experience and musical coordination of hundreds of events ranging from civil and religious wedding ceremonies to music for receptions and corporate events, West Coast Strings is now considered one of Vancouver’s leading providers of live classical entertainment.
As a clinician and instructor, Ms. Verdejo has taught group violin and viola courses and workshops to elementary and secondary students in Vancouver. She has developed her own method for teaching group classes and has delivered the program online to students around the world.
Her most recent recording project was with Next Level Games, a company that creates and produces video games for Nintendo, in which she recorded the violin and viola parts for Luigi’s Mansion 3. To date, Luigi’s Mansion 3 has sold nearly 8 million copies worldwide.
Ms. Verdejo has maintained an active chamber music career and regularly performs with viola and guitar ensemble Duo Verdejo as well as other musicians from the Metro Vancouver area. Meghan and her brother Adrian have been performing artists with the Health Arts Society since 2014 and enjoy bringing music to people in a meaningful way.